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Upper Powderhorn

Blue Taos, NM

Steepest pitch15°
Vertical286 ft
Length1,543 ft
Average pitch11°
FacesW
Top11,292 ft

Upper Powderhorn drops 286 vertical feet over 1,543 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 15° about 1,050 feet below the top. That's steeper than 13% of the 5,615 blue runs we've measured in North America, and the 109th steepest of 115 named runs at Taos. It faces west.

How well Upper Powderhorn holds snow

Snow preservationAverage

Facing west at an average 11°, Upper Powderhorn gets about 90% of the winter sun that flat ground at Taos does, December through March. That's sunnier than 60% of the runs we've measured, and the 13th sunniest named run at Taos. Its top sits at 11,290 feet.

It gets an ordinary dose of sun: powder lasts a typical amount of time, and spring snow softens on a normal schedule. Shading from ridges and trees isn't counted yet.

Upper Powderhorn profile

under 25°25–35°35–45°45°+ Hover to follow the line on the map.

Where it is on the mountain

Runs like Upper Powderhorn elsewhere

Nearby at Taos

Measured by ZRankings from 1-meter USGS lidar. Steepest pitch is the steepest stretch of about 50 vertical feet along the skiable line. Run lines come from OpenStreetMap and can sit a little off the skied path.